Everything from energy drink innovation to flexible packaging is under the microscope! Here’s BeverageDaily.com’s 2014 special edition editorial calendar.
UK scientists suggest they have debunked the myth that coffee causes dehydration and claim that moderate consumption provides similar hydrating qualities to water.
Pepsi-owned Naked Juice has been told to remove the term 'antioxidant’ from its marketing materials as the UK advertising watchdog demonstrates its EU law enforcement bite.
A Lucozade Sport ad campaign has been slammed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for falling foul of European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims rules.
Nestle Waters has sold its last regional French water brand Plancoet to Ogeu Pyrenees as the Perrier and Evian owner aims to focus more on its national and international brands.
Scientists receiving research funding from big beverage firms such as Coke or Pepsi are five times more likely to conclude in review studies that there is no link between soft drinks and weight gain.
Here are five global beverage trends that could shake up everything from soda to smoothies in 2014, as tea goes glam and consumers grow more cynical and health conscious.
PROF JEFFREY BLUMBERG NOTES 'SIGNIFICANT ADVANCE' IN TEA SCIENCE
In 2013 Unilever called tea the 'hottest beverage in the world' and recent research on its health benefits presents opportunities for industry innovation, with drinks like Lipton Natural Energy already reaping rewards.
Flexitarianism will be the next ‘mega trend’ leading to sales of vegetarian foods in the UK to grow by 10% by 2016, according to food trends agency The Food People.
Perrier factory manager Bernard Rouger insists that Nestlé Waters’ brand’s new 250ml slim can format has been a huge success in the US and Canada, and will be launched in France in 2014.
The New Zealand government insists that the British are increasingly keen on sub 10.5% ABV wines as it backs a NZ $16.97m investment in lower alcohol wines, but there is skepticism in some quarters.
Perrier site manager Bernard Rouger insists that there are no supply limitations as Nestle Waters’ iconic French sparkling water brand breaks the 1.1bn unit barrier in 2013.
US analyst Bonnie Herzog predicts that diet soda sales declines could fuel a 15-20% drop in overall US carbonated soft drink sales by 2020 but believes Coke is best-positioned to ride out the storm.
Sugar-sweetened and sugar-free beverages produce similar satiety in children, says a new study that challenges the oft-quoted hypothesis that artificially sweetened drinks make people crave sweeter foods or serve as an appetite stimulant.
We cast an eye over key dairy NPD in 2013, as Powerful Yogurt flexes its ‘brogurt’ muscles and one startup hopes its German-style quark can sweat a new US dairy category.
The launch of Arla’s Bubble Latte beverage range in Denmark this summer shows future for bubbles as a dairy product addition beyond the short-lived bubble tea craze, according to Dohler.
BEN WEISS, CEO: 'YOU HAVE TO SHOW THE CONSUMER YOUR SOUL'
The CEO of breakthrough coffee fruit-based soft drinks brand Bai 5 reveals his brand grew 400% in the past year but says he worries less about case sales than converting ‘Bai-lievers’.
The lead researcher behind a high-profile paper showing energy drinks increase heart contraction rates has rejected claims by Monster Beverage Corp that the paper is ‘alarmist’ and stressed that “whether this increase in contractility is generally beneficial...
The taste of stevia-derived sweeteners has come a long way in just a few short years, and the major stevia suppliers are now focusing on cutting sugar by half in mainstream soft drinks.
James Collins, bespoke nutritionist at Arsenal Football Club and with other elite athletes, says food supplements and sports nutrition products are highly important to top athletes - so important their use is now near-on ubiquitous.
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Irish dairy ingredients specialist Glanbia Nutritionals once filled its sights almost exclusively with the sports nutrition sector, but the explosion of interest in protein means the ‘ordinary’ mainstream food industry is a bigger and bigger target.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group has signed a deal with Princeton-based brand Bai 5 to extend distribution of the low calorie coffee berry-sweetened beverage across the US in 2014.
While consumer concerns over artificial sweeteners have been blamed - in part - for the funk the diet soda market currently finds itself in (click here), the fact remains that they are safe and effective tools for weight management, according to one obesity...
Europe is the epicentre of stevia-based beverage launches, and the sector is driving development of the all-natural sweetener, according to major supplier PureCircle.
BRAND CELEBRATES FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF COKE INVESTMENT
The CEO of Core Power – the first US dairy brand Coke invested in directly – says his firm is selling the ‘sex appeal of vitality’ with its high protein shakes, and plans further product launches.
Hain Celestial has been targeted in a first-if-its-kind putative class action lawsuit alleging that it falsely advertised Celestial Seasoning teas as 100% natural when they in fact contain “potentially dangerous” levels of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides,...
BUT CONSUMER EDGE INSIGHT SURVEY SHOWS CHALLENGES FOR BEER
The US beer market is losing ground to spirits and wine among its core consumer groups but fruit-flavored brands such as AB InBev’s Bud Light Lime-a-Rita are attracting new female drinkers into the category.
Boulder Brands believes the future is bright for high pressure processing (HPP) treated fruit juice after snapping up an $8.8m stake in Californian juice brand Suja.
Mintel analyst Jonny Forsyth believes that trendy coconut water brands – Vita Coco, Zico, O.N.E etc. – have quite a lot of cost management ‘wriggle room’ due to their high margins, despite fears of a global coconut shortage.
Hangover supplement start-up Alcotox, known in the UK as Vital X, exemplifies holes in theoretically unified health claims regulation within the EU, legal hounds say.
The FIE show is set to open its doors in just a couple of weeks, bringing together more than 1,300 suppliers - so what are the hottest new products to look out for on the show floor? FoodNavigator takes a sneak peek at some of the ingredients making an...
Despite a growing pile of research linking lycopene to benefits ranging from heart, cardiovascular, prostate and bone health to prevention of certain cancers, the market share for this carotenoid remains relatively small.
DSM Food Specialties has launched an all-natural preservation system for still beverages in Mexico and has high global hopes for an ingredient that significantly improves both shelf life and taste.
Adomas Pranevicius from MyDrink Beverages touts digestive health, weight management and heart health as three top trends in drinks for 2014. But what else is flashing on his radar?
Ingredients supplier Volac’s first foray into the retail market with high protein juice drink Upbeat has helped the dairy sector deliver on its voluntary pledge to tackle health issues – such as obesity.
NOVEL US CLASS ACTION TARGETS HIGH PRESSURE PROCESSING
Hain Celestial Group is facing a US lawsuit seeking millions in damages for alleged false claims its BluePrint fruit and vegetable juices are ‘unpasteurized’ and ‘100% raw’, due to use of high pressure processing (HPP).
Arla Food Ingredients believes that beverages with added protein have huge growth prospects across Europe, and notes the recent explosion of such SKUs in Scandinavian C-Stores.
Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) CEO Larry Young says he is ‘shocked’ by the summer slowdown in diet soda that also hit his firm's North American sales and partly blames misperceptions of aspartame.
Reductions in the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages are associated with improvements in biomarkers for chronic disease risk, says a new study from North Dakota State University.
The recent drop in diet soda sales in North America has been “a little more rapid than we expected” says PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, but PepsiCo remains convinced that “significant disruptive innovation” rather than “ridiculous pricing” is the best way to...
Resveratrol compounds found in red wine and grape skins could make certain tumour cells more susceptible to radiation treatment, according to research from the University of Missouri.
ANUGA TASTE THE FUTURE 2013: INNOVA MARKET INSIGHTS, PART 1
Innova Market Insights mined its datasets for Anuga to lend unique insight into what’s on trend in drinks across key world regions - here Europe and The Americas.
ANUGA TASTE THE FUTURE 2013: TAKE-HOME TRENDS FROM THE SHOW
Tanja Krüger from WILD Flavors notes the emerging trend in energy drinks towards ‘fusion energy’ - products that pair energy with other global success stories including tea and malt-based ingredients.
'BIGGER FIRMS WOULD NOT HAVE DEVELOPED AWARD WINNER': CEO
Klaus Dörrenhaus, CEO of German company KDM, tells Ben Bouckley why he chose to persevere in developing his award-winning, all-natural Orang-Utang soft drink.
ANUGA TASTE THE FUTURE 2013: WE HIT THE SHOW FLOOR
Orang-Utan themed drinks for kids with a high fruit juice content, malted non-alcoholic beverages sold under the Tiger Beer brand? Here's what tickled the jury's tastebuds at the 'Anuga Taste 13' awards in Cologne.
